Birth by Ventus's Sleep
by YuiOnFF
Summary: What happens in Birth by Sleep from Ventus's perspective. Kingdom Hearts Collection 1- Story 1-Birth by Ventus's Sleep, Written by Mikioku, Kingdom Hearts belong to Square Enix & Disney as they are the publishers of the game.
1. Prolouge-The Decision of a Longing Heart

_Prologue- The Decision of a Longing Heart _

_A man stood on the shore of an island. He was tall with silver hair that fell to his shoulders and golden eyes. His name was Xehanort and Xehanort had lived on Destiny Islands for some time now, content with dreaming until one day, Xehanort received a visit from his future Heartless form named Ansem. Ansem gave Xehanort the chance to leave his home and explore the unknown world that he longed to see; all Xehanort had to do now was make up his mind. Xehanort was hesitant about whether he would take the chance and see what the world had to offer or stay at Destiny Islands. As Xehanort stared at the setting sun, his mind in thought, he finally decided._

"_This world is just too small" a voice like dark silk said wistfully. Xehanort had made a decision that would repeat in time._

_Years later, Xehanort stood at the same spot when he was younger, though this time he had company. A bundle, almost as big as Xehanort covered in a white cloth. Xehanort walked along the shore and up a bridge to a flat topped hill with trees surrounding the edge.  
_

"_There, you see? An empty world, like a prison." Xehanort placed the bundle on the tree so it hung from the center. "I imagine you'll be right at home." Xehanort watched as the breeze played with the hanging cloth, a boy was inside of it with no sign of life. It was Xehanort's old apprentice, Ventus. Ventus's heart was fading quickly. Ventus needed to find a way to fix it before it was gone forever. His inner mind was at his heart losing hope when he heard a voice._

_In Ventus's Mind…_

"_Hey, where am I?" A light started to shine in the dark. It got brighter and brighter by the second. _

"_Who's there," Ventus asked. He fell deeper in the shadow, soon to land on this light. It was Ventus's heart._

"_I'm a brand new heart."_

"_But this is-"Ventus started. Ventus stood on what remained of his heart. "Why are you in my heart?" Ventus questioned the voice._

"_The light brought me; I saw it shining in the distance… and followed it here."_

"_Yeah, that was my light." Ventus replied. "But my heart is fractured… And now, the little I have left is slipping away."_

"_Then you should join your heart with mine."_

"_Huh?" More light began filling the empty space in Ventus's heart until it was complete again._

"_Now our hearts have touched. Nothing else will slip away, and one day you will be strong enough to win back what already did." Ventus closed his eyes and sighed._

"_Right. Thanks."_

"_It's time to wake up now. All we need to do is…"_

"_Open the door" Ventus finished as he opened his eyes and looked up. Colors covered his heart, designing them with great pictures as Ventus took a deep breath in, knowing soon he would wake up._

_Back on the Island…_

_Xehanort looked at Ventus then turned and walked away, looking out to the sea. The long, black trench coat that Xehanort wore covered him completely. Behind Xehanort an arm raised out of the cloth. Xehanort turned around and saw this._

"_Ah." A gruff, dark voice said as the hand signaled a unique blade that had grooves similar to a key at the end._

"_A Keyblade," Xehanort exclaimed as it started to glow. A beam of light shot up and hit the sky. It disappeared once it did and sent out little lights around it as the figure looked on. He grinned at this as the boy slowly opened his eyes and watched the lights twinkle in front of him._


	2. Chapter 1-One Last Night

_Chapter 1- One Last Night_

_Ventus couldn't go to sleep, he lay there awake for what felt like hours. Ventus finally sat up in his bed and sighed. Ventus glanced out the window for a second and saw something that made his heart thud._

_"Huh!" Ventus exclaimed, fully awake now looking excitedly out the window. A huge grin spread on Ventus's face as he saw what looked like countless shooting stars flying across the sky. "A meteor shower!" Ventus yelled as flew out of bed and ran out the door. _

_Ventus ran out the two huge doors and down the steps panting. Ventus stopped at the small courtyard and looked up quickly. "I can't see much from here." Ventus continued out the courtyard quickly._

_Down the path Ventus ran, to the stairs, then over the bridge. Seeing some training things were messed up Ventus stopped. It was like Terra to forget to clean something up after training. 'I have time to spare' Ventus thought as he cleaned up. Afterward, Ventus wiped his brow and smiled. "I should get going; I'm going to miss the meteor shower!" Then off Ventus went, up the cliff side to his, Terra and Aqua's favorite place to hang out._

_Ventus walked forward toward the edge and looked up. The night sky never seemed to fail Ventus, especially when there was a meteor shower. "Wow," Ventus whispered amazed. Ventus lied down on the grass and continued to look up at the sky."Why does it seem so familiar?" Ventus asked himself. Ventus slowly closed his eyes and fell to sleep._

_Ventus fell asleep with the stars and woke up with them. Ventus smiled and yawned then opened his eyes to look up at the head of his best friend Aqua. "WHOA!" Ventus yelled startled to see Aqua bending over him. Ventus got up and looked at her as Aqua giggled. "Give me a break Aqua." _

_Aqua looked at Ventus while smiling. "Ven, you hopeless sleepyhead, you should have at least brought a blanket."_

_"But- did I really dream that place up? It really felt like I'd been there before… looking up at the stars…" Ventus replied lost in thought. Aqua ruffled her younger friend's hair and Ventus softly giggled._

_"'Cept you've always lived here with us." Ventus looked down at the ground._

_"Yeah," Ventus thought for a second then looked up at Aqua with a smile. "I know." They walked over to the edge and sat down._

_"Hey Aqua?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"Y'ever wonder what stars are? Where light comes from?"_

_"Hmm… Well they say-"_

_"That every star up there is another world." A deep voice responded from behind them. They both turned around surprised._

_"Terra," Aqua said curiously. She was happy to see her long time friend._

_"Yep. It is hard to believe there are so many worlds out there beside our own." Terra replied. Terra walked toward them and kept going. "The light is their hearts, and it's shining down on us like a million lanterns." Ventus looked at Terra confused._

_"What? I don't get it." Ventus exclaimed to Terra. Terra smiled and looked at Ventus._

_"In other words, there just like you, Ven," Terra explained. Ventus got up and walked over to Terra._

_"What does THAT mean?" Ventus asked._

_"You'll find out someday, I'm sure." Terra reasoned._

_"I wanna know now!" Ventus complained. Aqua smiled at them._

_"You're too young to know now!" Terra argued._

_"Quit treating me like a kid! Ventus snapped at Terra. Aqua turned her head and giggled. Terra looked over at Aqua questioningly._

_"Hey, what are you laughing at?" Terra ordered. Aqua smiled at Terra and replied back between giggles._

_"I can't help it. You two would make the weirdest brothers." _

_"Huh?" Ventus replied off guard. Aqua started laughing and both joined in understanding. Soon all of them were staring at the night sky when Aqua remembered something._

_"Oh yeah. Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow," Aqua reminded Terra as she got up and walked over to Terra and Ventus. Aqua pulled out 3 different colored stared shaped good luck charms and handed one to each of them as she explain._

_"I made us good luck charms." They were both on their feet now examining what Aqua had given them. Ventus looked up at Aqua._

_"I get one too?"_

_"Of course. One for each of us," Aqua replied smiling. They held them together and looked at them. Terra got an orange one while Ventus had received a green one. Aqua had kept the last one for herself which was blue._

_"Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star shaped fruit… and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection." Aqua explained as she walked off and stopped._

_"So as long as you and your friends carry these, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other." Aqua turned around and looked at them, they returned the gaze._

_"Technically, I think they are supposed to be made with seashells, but I did the best with what I had." Aqua thought out loud._

_"Oy, sometimes you are such a girl." Terra remarked._

_"Hey, what do you mean 'sometimes'?" Aqua snapped. Ventus looked up at her worried._

_"So, this isn't a real good luck charm" Ventus asked. Aqua walked back over to them looking at Ventus._

_"Well, that's yet to be seen. But I did work a little magic on it."_

_"Really! What?" Aqua sighed and smiled at Ventus._

_"An unbreakable connection." _

_Terra walked away then stopped and turned around dramatically._

_"Well, tomorrow's the exam. Anyone wanna spar?" Terra asked._

_"I can take ya'!" Ventus exclaimed. Ventus got into a fighting stance and summoned his Keyblade. Ventus ran toward Terra and attempted a quick slash to the stomach but Terra just blocked it. Ventus leaped back and went on guard. "Quit goin' easy on me. You're not gonna win unless you stay on the offensive!" Ventus nagged at Terra. Ventus then waited for Terra to make his move. Terra took Ventus by surprise by starting a fury of slices. Ventus was left walking backward and parrying each of Terra's strong blows. Terra won with a strong thrust to the chest which sent Ventus back. Ventus got up and went into an on guard position. Terra did the same when Aqua walked up. _

_"Well that works if you're fighting one on one. " Aqua commented to Terra. "But you need to know how to handle a crowd to." Aqua flowed into her fighting stance and Terra charged. Aqua slid away from Terra's attack and pointed her Keyblade toward Terra and it glowed. Out of the glowing Keyblade came bubbles that held Terra in the air. Aqua was able to poke the chest of Terra easily and then the bubbles dropped him. Terra looked as if he were about to argue about the tactic Aqua used then shut his mouth deciding not to. _

_"I so declare a fair rematch." Terra demanded. Aqua smiled and said "I make no promise not to use magic." Terra glared at Aqua._

_"That's fine, just don't pin me up anywhere. Stick with shooting things like fire, water or air so it's fair." Aqua shrugged and agreed then it started. Terra ran toward Aqua as she pointed her Keyblade up. A fireball hurdled out of it straight toward Terra. Terra rolled toward to side and hurled himself toward Aqua with a strong grip on his Keyblade. Aqua blocked and they locked Keyblades for a second, staring intensely into the others eyes as they struggled for the upper hand. Aqua unlocked hers quickly from Terra's and went for the legs. Terra was prepared though and blocked. Aqua leaped back gracefully and prepared to end the fight. Aqua pointed her Keyblade at Terra as it began to glow. A torrent of wind came toward Terra as he disappeared off the edge._

_"TERRA!" Aqua screamed she went toward the edge and looked over. No sign of the tall dark warrior. Aqua started to get tears in her eyes when a hand came over her mouth and an arm over her stomach. Aqua was pushed down to the ground and a Keyblade was aimed at the center of her stomach. Aqua looked at the face and saw Terra grinning. "So you win." Aqua smiled. "Congrats."_

_"Comes with experience." Terra replied. Ventus came over and stood next to them as Terra got on his feet and helped Aqua to hers._

_"Trust me, you guys are ready." Ventus told them. "Your gonna clean up at the exam tomorrow."_

_"I hope it's that easy" Terra murmured as he looked up at the sky wistfully._

_"It's like the Master said, power is born with in the heart." Aqua replied to Terra's thought. "When the time is right, you just need to look inside yourself… and you'll find it there." They all had a deep silence as they thought, then Aqua looked at Terra and signaled with her head the direction to the castle, Terra nodded in return._

_"Hey Ventus, we're gonna head back now." Terra informed Ven._

_"Okay, I'm coming!" Aqua thought of something and grabbed her good luck charm as Ventus and Terra started to walk off. Aqua looked at it then at Terra and Ventus._

_"Together, always." Aqua said to herself, and then ran after her friends. But, little did they know, that would be the last night they ever spent beneath the same stars._


	3. Chapter 2-Mark of Mastery

_Chapter 3- Mark of Mastery_

_The light shone through the stained glass window on the wall of the castle, shining down on the floor in a million colors. It was morning now and everyone was awake and alert. There was even a guest at the castle. Master Xehanort, a master at the art of wielding a Keyblade. Master Xehanort had studied with Master Eraqus as a child. Master Eraqus was now Aqua, Terra and Ventus's Teacher and Master. _

_Aqua and Terra stood in front of the 3 throne like chairs where Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort sat watching them. Ventus stood near the wall watching the masters and his two friends. Ventus noticed Master Xehanort watching him from his chair. Ventus returned his glance and Master Xehanort smiled at him then looked away. He sighs, wishing it was the three of them instead of just two. His thoughts were interrupted by Master Eraqus who stood up and announced they would begin now. _

_"Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery. Not one but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates. But this is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy- not a test of will, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail or neither." He stated out, but then added, "But I am sure our guest, Master Xehanort, did not travel all this way just to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of a mark." Xehanort nodded silently. Master Eraqus examined his students then continued. "I trust you are ready?"_

_"Yes" Aqua and Terra said quickly in union. Master Eraqus summoned his Keyblade and made 5 large balls of light._

_"Then may the examination begin." Terra and Aqua both got into their fighting stances only to be shocked when the orbs shook and moved on their own, light mixed with shadow. No one heard Master Xehanort softly chuckle. Aqua and Terra gasped at what they were witnessing. They started to attack the orbs when one headed straight toward Ventus._

_"Ven!" Aqua and Terra cried but Ventus saw it coming and summoned his Keyblade, striking it through the orb of mixed light and destroying it._

_"Don't worry about me!" Ventus yelled. "You two focus on the exam."_

_"But Ven, you're in danger here! Go wait in your room." Aqua cried. Ventus shook his head, refusing._

_"No way! I've been looking forward to this- seeing you two become Masters. I'm not gonna miss it now!" Ventus declared back at them._

_"He can take care of himself," Terra added. "He's been out there training just as hard as us."_

_"Yeah!" Ventus cheered._

_"Stay sharp Ven." Aqua warned him before charging at the orbs surrounding her and Terra. 3 orbs were left, hovering in the air threateningly. Soon Terra, Aqua and Ventus had defeated all the orbs. Ventus went back to the wall while Aqua and Terra stood at attention, waiting for their Master's next words._

_"That was unexpected," He finally said in a calm voice. "But one must keep a still heart in the most trying of circumstances. It was an excellent test, one I decided to let unfold. This brings us to your next trial." He signaled for Aqua and Terra to go to the center of the room facing each other. "Now, Terra and Aqua, the two of you will face each other in combat. Remember, there are no winners- only truths, for when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed." Aqua flowed into her fighting stance while Terra rushed into his. "Begin." _

_Their Keyblades clashed as a mighty battle begin. Aqua jumped back as Terra's weapon flew by, close to her stomach. Their swords clashed again and Aqua made a strong blow that rushed into Terra's Keyblade. Terra jumped back so he would have more space. Terra's next move was a fast strike up with his sword. Aqua avoided it by gracefully dodging back. Terra made two more fast blows near the head but Aqua ducked and stepped back, getting her Keyblade ready for another attack. Aqua made a blow across his body and Terra nimbly jumped back. Aqua made a grip on her Keyblade then made a strong and fast move toward Terra's head. Terra jumped back but the blade was only an inch away from his face. Terra slid back and balanced himself out quickly, getting up as Aqua ran toward him. Terra's eyes narrowed, his hand went out to the side and started to absorb dark energy. But when Terra notices he snapped out of it surprised and put his attention back on Aqua. Their blades rung out again as two forces clashed against another. But in the back Master Xehanort noticed what happened with Terra and smiled. The battle went on till there was a winner and then they stood to attention for one last time in the exam. Both masters discussed until a decision was made, then walked up to the candidates and told them their results._

_"We have deliberated and reached a decision." Master Eraqus announced. "Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably. However, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery." Terra gasped in shock as his master continued. "Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check. But there was always next time. That is all." At that Master Xehanort walked out of the room to the stairs at the side. "Aqua," Master Eraqus continued. "As our newest Keyblade Master you are entitled to certain knowledge. Please wait here for further instructions." With that Master Eraqus left the room. Aqua and Ventus went over to their troubled friend._

_"Hey…" Aqua murmured softly as she reached a hand out to Terra's shoulder. Ventus was behind them with a saddened look on his face._

_"Terra, I'm so sorry," Ventus added feeling truly pained at his friend being confused and hurt, but Terra ignored them and kept thinking._

_"The darkness," Terra finally said and closed his eyes holding back tears. "Where did it come from?" Terra opened his eyes revealing the frustrated, red lines that were in them. _

_Ventus wanted to hug Terra but when he took the step forward, Terra walked away._

_"Sorry… but I need some time alone." He stammered as he walked off. Aqua looked as if she wanted to say something but she didn't. Ventus deciding not to stay went to his room. There Ventus lay on his bed, swinging around a toy Keyblade that Terra gave to him. Ventus looked at the letters engraved in the wooden sword and sighed. It said Terra, the name his thoughts were wrapped about like a kitten covered in string. Ventus was lost in thought when he heard the bell signaling the emergency. Ventus was about to run out of his room, with his toy in hand when he heard a voice._

_"Better hurry, Ventus" it commented coldly. Ventus stopped at the door and turned around._

_"Huh? Who are you?" Ventus asked. The person was all in armor so you couldn't see any part of him. What bugged Ventus most was the full face mask that he wore._

_"Or you'll never see Terra again."_

_"What!? Get real. I can see Terra anytime I want." he yelled at the stranger. The stranger never looked at Ventus; instead he looked at the wall in front of him, making it seem almost as if Ventus was nothing to him._

_"Like right now? He's leaving you behind. And by the time you catch up…" he continued. He only turned his head slightly to look at Ventus. "He'll be a different person." Ventus never doubted his friend though and Ventus didn't even hesitate to tell him he was wrong._

_"Look- whoever you are- you don't know the first thing about Terra. Me and him will always be a team. You trying to pick a fight or what?" Ventus got in a fighting stance but all the stranger did was walk to the other side of the room._

_"Oh, grow up. Is that what you call friendship? You'll never know the truth unless you go out and look for it yourself." He turned and looked at Ventus and there was a deadly silence until he nagged him again._

_"Come on, what could you possibly know when you are stuck here, looking at nothing but your tiny world." With that, he walked into a portal of darkness and was gone. Ventus was in shock, he didn't know what to do as the stranger's words entered his head. Memories came back of him training with Terra and just having fun. Ventus finally couldn't take it anymore._

_"Terra!" Ventus cried as he ran to the courtyard in front of the castle. Ventus pushed the two huge doors to the side and sped down the stairs. Ventus caught sight of Terra and cried his name out. _

_"Huh?" Terra said as he turned around. When Ventus was in front of him he was out of breathe._

_"I…I…I," Ventus stuttered till a large hand went on top of his head and ruffled his hair. Terra smiled down at him._

_"It's okay," Terra told him calmly. Terra smiled at him and Ventus returned it with a blank face mixed with his worried thoughts. Terra summoned his armor and made a portal to space, summoning his space glider Terra flew through the portal away from Ventus. Ventus was in shock of what just happened then copied Terra and went after him into space._


	4. Chapter 3-Dwarf Woodlands

_Chapter 3- Dwarf Woodlands _

_Ventus flew through space hoping to find some clue of Terra, but the only thing Ventus ran into was another world. Hoping maybe Terra might be at this place; Ventus flew into to that world and landed on a hill next to a mine spot. Ventus heard a voice on his space glider saying 'Welcome to the Dwarf Woodlands' before disappearing along with his armor, only Ventus's Keyblade remained now. Ventus was about to go off to search for his friend when he heard many footsteps and humming noises behind him. Ventus turned around to see 7 dwarves marching to the mine entrance. They each had a pickaxe in hand and were humming a tune together._

_"Wow," Ventus whispered as a huge grin grew on his face. Ventus watched them, first with surprise then amazement. After Ventus watched them enter and disappear from his sight, Ventus stood there wondering what he should do. Deciding, he ran into the mine after the dwarves._

_He walked into the cave as light from all the different gems caught his eyes. He looked at the gems distracted and then looked around for the dwarves. He saw them working and watched them till a dwarf turned from his work and looked shocked at him._

_"Huh? Who are you?"_

_"I'm Ventus," Ventus replied. "But call me Ven."_

_"A diamond thief!" A different dwarf accused. "Take cover, ya fools!" _

_Most of them took cover deeper within the mine. To do that they went up some stairs that lead to two large rocks. The two dwarves that first spoke to him hid behind those two boulders. One dwarf however ran around till he hit one of the cave walls hard. The pickaxe he dropped had the name 'Dopey' engraved on it. Ventus was confused and hurt, he gasped as he tried to figure out what happened._

_"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you," Ventus yelled hoping they would hear. They did, and soon enough they were all gathered next to the two boulders, all of the dwarves except for Dopey who was still on the floor with a big grin on his face._

_"You didn't?" the dwarf in the front asked. He was a little more round than the rest with bushy white eyebrows and a beard similar to the first who spoke to Ventus._

_"Oh," yawned another dwarf with a blue gray cap and a tan shirt. "So, you're not here for our diamonds?"_

_"That's not nice," Ventus said finally understanding what happened. "Treating me like I am some kind of bad guy. I'm just trying to find a friend. His name is Terra. He's dressed kinda like me, about ya tall-"_

_"Sounds like a tall tale to me!" Yelled the same dwarf who accused him of being a diamond thief. He was dressed in a red shirt and a brown cap. "Go on, git!"_

_"We don't know any Terra" said yet another dwarf. Ventus sighed._

_"Please… Could you come over here? I just wanna talk." Ventus begged. _

_"Don't fall for it!" The dwarf yelled. "Stay where ya are!" Ventus crossed his arms tired of this game they were playing. _

_"Alright, then we'll do this the hard way!" Ventus ran toward them and they ran off to hide. When Ventus entered the next part of the mine he walked toward the left then scanned the room. There was a cart that ran around on two tracks. Ventus looked closer and he could see the top of a cap. Ventus ran over and with some effort (but not much since it was only half the size of him). Ventus stopped the small cart and looked the dwarf in the eyes and smiled. But Ventus had shocked the poor dwarf._

_"Oh gosh" said the dwarf, he looked nervous as shuffled his feet and played with his hands. He did not look Ventus in the eye or say anything else. Ventus decided to make the first move._

_"What's your name?" Ventus asked the dwarf. The dwarf looked at him and swayed a little._

_"Bashful," he whispered._

_"That's a nice name" Ventus replied. Bashful said nothing else as he stared at the ground. After a long awkward silence, Ventus left Bashful in hopes to find the others. Ventus found another dwarf nearby hiding in a box. He lifted it up a little and looked in._

_"Hello? Anyone home?" Ventus called out._

_"What do you want?" Asked the voice slightly ticked._

_"I just want to know your name," Ventus answered._

_"Happy," replied the dwarf. Happy crawled out the box and looked at Ventus. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I'm looking for a friend, he left home a while ago and I was worried." Ventus replied. He looked at the dwarf sincerely._

_"You sure seem nice," Happy told Ventus. "I wish we could help ya" Ventus nodded then left. Ventus walked along till he heard something yelp. Ventus looked toward the direction of the voice and saw a box running away from him. Ventus ran after the box and eventually managed to stop it. Ventus lifted it up to reveal an upset dwarf. _

_"I'm sorry if I upset you" Ventus apologized. The dwarf got up and looked at him crossed._

_"We haven't met any Merra- uh, Terra." The dwarf scolded. "And we'd know if a stranger was around." He added before turning around and stomping away._

_"Can I at least get your name!" Ventus shouted after him._

_"Doc!" He yelled back without turning around. Ventus decided it best not to pursue after Doc, so he went back to looking for the rest of the dwarves. Ventus walked along a tunnel like path to find another box. Ventus lifted the box and found a sleeping dwarf. The dwarf yawned as he got up and stretched. The dwarf then scratched his stomach and looked up at Ventus with half opened eyes._

_"Is it morning already?" The dwarf asked Ventus. Ventus gave a laugh at this._

_"It's afternoon and you're in the mines. Let me guess, you are…" Ventus stood in a thinking pose as he looked at the tired dwarf. 'If each of the dwarf's names is based off who they are then he must be…' "Sleepy?" Ventus guessed looking at the dwarf. The dwarf nodded sleepily at Ventus then stumbled off. Ventus kept walking forward and found another dwarf blasted out of his hiding spot by a sneeze. Ventus ran over and helped him to his feet._

_"My hay fever! I gotta… I gotta… Hold on… Hold on… Careful… Carefu-"When he was interrupted by a huge sneeze, but Ventus had a hold on him so he didn't go anywhere. The dwarf looked up at him and smiled._

_"Thanks," the dwarf told him before adding his name. "Sneezy." Ventus smiled then heard a box crash behind him. He turned around quickly to see a very mad dwarf kicking the pieces of the wooden box. Ventus ran over to see if he could help. The dwarf turned around quickly and growled a warning at him._

_"I'm warnin' ya- keep your paws off our diamonds! I'll be watchin'!" 'Maybe Meanie?' Ventus thought._

_Ventus decided to look around one more time to make sure he didn't miss anyone. He didn't see anyone he missed, to his surprise actually he didn't see any of the dwarves he just encountered either. Puzzled, he walked to the entrance to see all of them gathered in the center. He walked up to them as they all looked at him with accusing glances._

_"Come on." Ventus pleaded with them. "I'm telling you, I'm no thief."_

_"Ha, that's what they all say!" Meanie yelled pointing a finger at him. "Well, we're onto ya!"_

_"Fine, I get." Ventus said hurt. "You want me to leave, I'll leave." Ventus started to walk out when he got an idea._

_"But, can you tell me where I can find some other people around here?" Ventus asked._

_"There's a castle beyond the chorus- I mean the forest." Doc explained. Ventus nodded._

_"Got it. Well, thanks." Ventus walked out of the cave and away from the mining area. 'Or perhaps Grumpy, not Meanie,' thought Ventus before reaching the corner of the forest._


	5. Chapter 4-Meeting Snow White

_Chapter 4- Meeting Snow White_

_Ventus walked through the woods looking not only for Terra, but for anyone who might help him. The woods were full of life, birds sung, squirrels chattered and even the trees seemed to glow with pure, happy light as a light breeze whistled through the pines. A yellow butterfly flew right past Ventus, running into a white butterfly and then playing with it. Ventus thought it lively and wonderful as he walked, but Ventus's mind made him ignore most of the beauty of the forest as Ventus continued searched his search._

_ Soon Ventus came across a cottage at a clearing, in the center of the woods. It was small with brick walls, wood windows and doors and a hay roof. Little trees grew near a fence, which stretched out from the house for awhile then stopped. Ventus thought of it very quaint before realizing this must were the little men lived. Ventus walked over to the entryway of the house. The door was just a few centimeters smaller than Ventus, with vines growing up the side making a very green archway. Next to the door was a window and underneath that, a small bench, with a well bucket on the side. Ventus looked through the window to see what was inside. He was interrupted by a loud cry from deeper in the woods._

_Ventus turned away fast, alert and ready for anything. He looked around and noticed that the sound was coming south from him, across from a little bridge._

_"There!" Ventus yelled to himself. Ventus ran across the bridge going deeper into the forest. Ventus stopped when he noticed that everything was darker now. Ventus heard crickets and the breaking of branches but not the birds or the squirrels anymore. There was no more light shining through the trees as he walked. Everything was dark and forbidding colors of navy blue, grey and black. Ventus slowed himself down to a walk and looked around. There on the cold ground was a girl with black hair and fair skin crying. Ventus walked up to her slowly and felt quite bad for her._

_"What's wrong?" Ventus asked._

_"These horrible trees- they tried to grab me," said the young girl, her voice shaking. Ventus reached out his hand and the girl turned around and looked at his hand in surprise. He smiled warmly at her._

_"Ah, it's okay. You were probably just seeing things. It happens to all of us when we are afraid." The girl thought for a second, then smiled back and took Ventus's hand. Ventus helped her get up._

_"Oh, thank you. I feel quite better now. I'm sure I'll get along, somehow." Her expression changed from gratitude to worry. "But… I do need a place to sleep at night." She looked up at Ventus with a hopeful glance. "Would you know anywhere I might?" Ventus smiled._

_"Well, I saw a house just up ahead. C'mon, I'll take you there!" He started to walk off when he stopped and turned around. "Oh, I'm Ventus, Ven for short." The girl looked thankful at him._

_"Thank you, Ven. My name is Snow White" Snow White said cheerfully._

_"Great! Let's get going." Ventus replied. _

_So they started their long journey. Snow White was very skittish and jumped when she heard a noise. She walked so close to Ventus at times he felt the side of her dress on his skin. Whenever a monster would show up Ventus would get into a fighting stance while a very scared Snow White hid behind him. Soon they were at the cottage though, at last safe and sound._

_Ventus guided Snow White into the little home and took this chance to look around. Everything inside was small and a lot of the furniture was made with wood. It, like the outside of the cottage was very quaint. _

_"I'm pretty sure you'll be safe here," Ventus started. He turned around and looked at fair Snow White before continuing. "But sit tight while I look around." He smiled at her, and then ran out of the house. Ventus patrolled around the cottage thoroughly to make sure Snow White was safe. _

_Something still had him shocked, probably from when he was helping Snow White through the woods. The trees did reach out at them for a little bit then froze as more Unversed appeared. Unversed were a new thing apparently that were threatening the worlds around. They took many forms but all had in common that the creatures would hurt any who seemed to cross paths with it. They were unnatural looking and probably evil thought Ventus. _

_Ventus noticing he had not run into anything bad decided Snow White was safe and headed back to the cottage. Ventus opened the door and walked in casually as he glanced for Snow White._

_"The coast is clear! Not a monster in sight- Huh!" Ventus realized all the dwarfs were around Snow White in interest, obviously already starting to like her. They turned and faced him and there expression changed instantly._

_"Couldn't stay away, could ja?" Grumpy accused. "And who invited you in, ya rotten little thief?"_

_"Oh no, he's not a thief. He rescued me." Snow White replied._

_"You fussn't be mooled- uh, mustn't be fooled by him, princess." Doc told her warningly._

_"Just go on an' git!" Grumpy yelled threateningly at him._

_"Please don't send him away!" Snow White pleaded. "You see, he helped me when I was lost, and oh, so very frightened." The dwarves all now had their attention on Snow White. Ventus took this chance to get closer. He walked toward the group._

_"What happened?" Ventus asked._

_"Well, I was picking flowers by the wood, and there was a stranger there. He had a sword, but it was like a key- and then these monsters came and-"Snow White explained._

_"A sword like a key," Ventus said to himself. "Terra!" Ventus realized this person must be his friend._

_"Ya mean this stranger saw ya and set his horde of evil demons after ya?" Doc questioned._

_"Terra would never do that! Ventus yelled. Everyone looked at him with different expressions._

_"Oh, of course. I'm sure he wouldn't. Not if he's someone who's your friend." Snow White tried to assured him. _

_"Princess! You trustn't be so musting- er, trusting." Doc warned her again, this time glaring at Ventus._

_"He's a-lyin'! Mark my words." Grumpy growled._

_"I'll prove it! Ventus cried. He ran out of the cottage into the woods. Where he found Snow White stood a huge Unversed tree. It had red spikes on the roots and blue fruit shaped like cylinders, small blue balls and weird red flowers growing on the leaves._

_"Back off!" Ventus yelled. He summoned his Keyblade and got into a fighting pose. Ventus charged at the creature and right when he was close enough to attack, the tree swung at Ventus with one of its roots. Ventus flew through the air into the dirt, but did not give up. Getting back on his feet, Ventus charged yet again and was ready for the root. Instead of ducking the root though, he jumped on to it and it in the center of the trunk. The tree shook violently as Ventus leaped back a safe distance and aimed a fireball at it. It hit the tree again in the center and flames danced there for a second then vanished. A deep black circle remained as a reminder. The tree shook its head and the red flowers burst into fiery light and came toward Ventus. Ventus saw this and ran for the tree. When he was close enough he leaped to avoid as the lights crashed into the tree. It fell back and stayed put for a moment. Ventus walked toward it and looked at it as he caught his breath. The tree swooped up and grabbed Ventus as it jumped in the air and threw him down, letting his roots crush Ventus. Ventus gasped for air as the tree squished down harder. Ventus finally got the strength to hit it hard with his Keyblade. Shocked, it got off him and went back to a safe distance. Noticing though, that Ventus was injured as he limped away, he did a spin attack toward him which knocked balls down everywhere. Ventus was sent back flying by the hit of a root, and then crushed by one of the balls. Ventus gasped for air as he gathered all his strength to lift his Keyblade and whisper the words 'Heal'. A green light came down from his sword and washed away his bruises and pain, fixing all the bad. He got up on his feet and the tree reared. It shook his head toward him and sent its fruit flying everywhere. As soon as a fruit hit the ground, a green puddle was made which smelled deeply of poison. Ventus dodged all of fruit and puddles as he tried to reach the tree. When he made it, Ventus lost no time in locking on to where the weak spot on the tree was. Jumping forward, Ventus hit the tree in the black circle he had made earlier and broke the wood there. The tree was sent flying back, landing hard on the ground then turns into a bunch of dark light and vanishes. Ventus nodded and ran out of the woods. He reached the meadow that Snow White talked about and looked around like crazy._

_"Terra!" Ventus yelled as loud as he could, but unfortunately there was no reply. Ventus looked down in disappointment and noticed and apple rolling down toward him. He looked up and saw an old lady with a basket of apples walking into the woods. Ventus picked up the apple and walked toward her._

_"Excuse me ma'am? You dropped this." Ventus told her as he handed her the apple and smiled. She turned around and looked at the apple then up at him with surprise and gratitude. _

_"Oh, why thank you, my pet." She cooed as she took the apple and placed it in her basket. "To tell the truth, I really don't know what I would have done without that." She turns around and softly laughs. She starts to walk forward, then stops with a thought._

_"Haven't I seen that sword before?"_

_"Terra has one," replies Ventus instantly. "You know Terra?"_

_"Oh yes, yes…" she starts. Ven's smile got bigger. "That ruffian pointed one of those at me, asking about some "Xehanort"- My heart nearly stopped." Ventus's smile vanished with those words._

_"That doesn't sound like him at all…" Ventus spoke to himself. "Ma'am, where did Terra go?"_

_"I'm sure I have no idea," she answered quickly, then walked off saying "Must you all menace a poor granny so?"_

_"What? No, I was just," he started then stopped. Ventus didn't want to have the same thing happen that did to the dwarves. Ventus turned around and looked up at the sky sadly. "Terra, what did you do?" With that, he walked back to the hill near the mine, summoned his armor and a portal and left the Dwarf Woodlands._


	6. Author's Note

Hey everyone who has been reading! Just so you know my computer broke down and I've been using this replacement computer. Unfortunately that means I won't be ale to write for awhile. I will get back to writing as soon as I can though! -Yui, Mikioku & Kiomukix


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